Over the past month, I've been working on migrating the blog to my website. The goal was simple: same domain, easier administration and a clean, predictable look. I'm please with the results! The new blog nicely meshes with my website.
If you're trying to find the photography blog for Christopher Hall, then please visit me at my new location: http://www.hall-photography.com/blog.
Cheers,
Chris
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
We're Moving!
Friday, August 21, 2009
Shoot for the Moon!
I currently have two prints framed and matted for sale at our friends at the New Moon Cafe. Here's a map. The prints are two of my favorites at $85.00 a piece.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
This Old Boat
It had been sometime since I've had the traditional week at the beach vacation. A few weeks ago found me on Hilton Head Island enjoying the surf, sand and sun and exploring where I could. For as long as I can remember, I've always loved the water and just as much, I feel a great draw to old boats. The morning after a great dinner at The Boathouse, I headed back down to shoot some early morning pictures of the docked boats. One in particular caught my eye and as I was going through images for my weekly post, I decided to put some photoshop filters to work on this boat--the Game Cock.
Monday, August 3, 2009
Graniteville--The Final shots
It was an early Saturday morning about 7 o'clock when I pulled up on the final day of shooting. As I was grabbing my gear to walk through the area, a car pulled up behind me. A guy with a female passenger--both too well-dressed for this time of day--started throwing out a series of questions. I fielded some questions and threw out a couple of my own. He was the person responsible for the protection of the facilities. He seemed defensive when I mentioned that our area is going to change and I wanted to capture our history before it was too late. "Oh it is, is it?" He went his way and I mine. After another swig of coffee, I marched along the sidewalk wondering what I'd capture today.
Warrenville
I started shooting the Graniteville/Warrenville series about the end of March. On Saturday or Sunday mornings, I'd get up before the sun grab coffee and camera, then hit the road. As I had finished for the day in Graniteville, I was heading back and stopped to catch a shot of the train tressel with the building in the background. I composed the shot and just as I was getting ready to bang the shutter, out come a pack of cyclists! And unexpected surprise and added a fun element to the day!
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Sunday, July 19, 2009
A Look at Midland Valley
I was sitting in my office several months ago, when a friend said I should shoot pictures of Graniteville. I liked the idea. Graniteville and the other towns that make up Midland Valley remind me of my roots in Detroit. Blue collar town, working class values. I'm proud of my roots. Unfortunately, Graniteville like my hometown is declining. I see pictures of Detroit, once a proud and thriving city and what I see is the decay. That doesn't mean neither city doesn't have it's bright spots, just that times are tough and jobs have been lost. I drive through the valley and see a lot of vacant buildings and with vacancy comes the decay. There's nobody there to pickup trash, trim hedges, replace broken windows and other such things. I'm dedicating the next several posts to our neighbors in Midland Valley.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Western North Carolina Waterfalls
For the last several years, Ryan, Dee's son, has gone off to camp for a few weeks. And I'll have to say, I'm incredibly jealous. This year at camp, he'll spend the first week backpacking and the second week canoeing. I really hate it for him! The camp is located in Western North Carolina, just a little shy of Pisgah National Forest (my favorite of all places) near Flat Rock, NC. After an incredible Independence Day celebration out on Lake Murray, we got up the next day to usher Ryan off. When we got to the camp, Ryan and I hung out a bit and he showed me one of the trails nearby, while Dee handled the paperwork. Afterwards, we said our goodbyes and headed out. We were free for the rest of the day and the day following! We grabbed a bite to eat, browsed around Flat Rock then headed off to Dupont State Forest. If you have heard of Dupont before, it could be that the majority of the movie "Last of the Mohicans" was filmed there. Lacing up our boots, Dee and I headed for Triple Falls and they were absolutely spectacular! The falls cascade down for 125 feet and are one of several falls located on the Little River. I was swept away by the beauty of the area and layed there as the sound of the rushing water swept away all of the worries of modern life. We were on the top of the falls and after a little deliberation, we decided that if the youngsters (and some older ones too) could navigate over slippery rocks, we could too, so we headed down. Ledge after ledge, we slowly made our way down the falls, turning to gawk at the majesty of each of the falls. In the end, we saw some kayakers spilling over a small ledge as they made their way down stream. It was a great way to end the hike!
Monday, June 29, 2009
South Carolina's Riverfront
It was a Thursday evening a couple of weeks ago and I had stopped by my sister's house for dinner. I was born in Detroit, but had spent a lot of my growing up years in North Augusta. It's nice to cruise around the places I used to hang out. One place that is certainly not reminiscent of the 'good old days' is the riverfront along the Savannah River. Excuse me, I mean South Carolina's Riverfront. That's what marketing people call it. The development around the river has really changed the look of North Augusta. They've had the Greenway for a number of years, which is a nice paved walkway that spans several miles and connects different parts of the city. But on that Thursday evening after a pretty strong storm and gone through the area, I decided to spin around town before heading back to Aiken. I had seen the new City Hall, a multi-story modern building that looks so different from the North Augusta I grew up in, but I didn't know of the development behind it close to the river. As I pulled up behind the new City Hall, I saw a a rainbow. While the clouds were pitch black and there was a little sunlight breaking through, I could see the rainbow steaming down over Augusta. I pulled over and pulled out my camera, which is usually by my side. I clicked off a few shots and kept driving behind the new building to discover a road that lead to a little park. The park was connected to the greenway. I parked the Jeep and jumped out. "A new place to explore!" There was a trail that went past a little pond and through a wooded area to another pond. There were ducks and a small covered picknic area and as I left, I saw a deer running through the woods. "I'll have to come back here with Dee", I thought as I drove away.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Friday Freebie
Ah, I love when Friday rolls along, especially when I don't have to rush out of the house early. As I was lying in bed this morning waiting for the coffeemaker to do it's thing, I got to thinking about my next blog post. I have some great photos lined up for my weekly post, but I wanted to share a recent find. I was planning on printing some of my photographs to mat, frame and sell after I finished building my website (which is almost there) and remembered a suggestion from a friend-- mpix.com. Late last week, I selected a couple of photos to print, went to mpix and placed my order. I found the website easy to interact with, as I created my account and uploaded the images. A large variety of sizes were available, along with editing tools and adding borders. I submitted my order and waited. Well, the photos arrived yesterday and they look incredible! The colors were vibrant and the detail was, well, detailed! As much as I enjoy displaying my images on my blog, nothing quite compares to a finished print that's well done! Do you have some photos from that special trip or occassion? Go to mpix.com and bring that moment to life!
Stay tuned for more weekly tips!
Stay tuned for more weekly tips!
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Sailing on Lake Murray
Dee's birthday was on a Saturday a couple of weeks ago and she wanted to take a sunset sail on Lake Murray. All week long, it was either raining with thunderstorms or threatening and Saturday's forecast wasn't looking very good, but we made the arrangements and hoped for the best. Paula Adams, our captain's wife, assured us if that if the weather didn't cooperate, she would call us and make arrangements for another time. Saturday arrived and as we pulled up to Lanier Sailing Academy, the clouds seemed to break up a bit. Dee and I piled on a nice 22 footer along with Brian Adams, our captain. The weather turned out to be perfect! Living in the 'Sunny South', I've come to expect hot and humid as the main course of the day and night, but we were pleasantly surprised with a nice cool breeze. As we made our way across the lake and the sun steamed towards the horizon, we encountered other boaters along the way and managed to learn a bit about how to sail. Brian was a gracious captain, telling us stories and giving us pointers along the way. The time came to turn around and as we slowly made our way back, the sun all but slipped away, leaving us with a full moon to guide us back. I mean really, can you ask for a more romantic night?
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Five months and going strong
In January, I decided to commit to building this photography blog. I had no idea where it would take me and only a few thoughts on what I would like to see. There were weeks that I didn't have a lot of time to go out and shoot new photos and thankfully, I had a storehouse of images taken over the past couple of years that I could reach into.
Next week will be five months of consistently posting new images for people to enjoy. As I look into the coming months, I'm excited about what new changes I have in store for you!
Do you tweet?
I think technology changes by the second. More and more, the internet offers us new ways to learn, enjoy our hobbies and reach out to others. Earlier this year, I signed up for a twitter account. Twitter is free and if blogging is about sharing thoughts with others, then twitter is sharing them on speed! I have started posting some photos on there yesterday and will post an image or two daily, so if you're interested, check them out at my blog or here. Come follow me....Why Facebook
Facebook is another social medium I'm trying to take advantage of. Why? Facebook is about building relationships and business is all about relationships. Keep an eye on your inbox and I'll keep you posted as I build my Facebook business page.Sold!
With all the different options for hanging a hat in the websphere, one might forget about the 'old-fashioned' way: a website. I finished a design earlier this year and am in the process of working out the technical bugs. The website will also include a way to offer prints for sale, both matted & framed and unframed.Here's to you!
I hope you've enjoyed my photos as much as I have enjoyed making them! While most of you are getting updated through my weekly newsletter, don't forget to stop by the blog at http://hall-photography.blogspot.com. If you enjoy the photos, don't forget to leave a comment and pass this site on to your friends!Sunday, May 31, 2009
Hiking in Pisgah National Forest
It was late by the time I pulled into the Big East Fork parking lot. I had been there before, but time does a number on memory and I had forgotten how far the trailhead was from the intersection in town. I pulled in and got my gear together, then with my new headlamp started to make my way down the trail. I was able to find a nice spot about 40-50 yards down the trail and by midnight, my dog Buck and I were sacked out in the tent. I awoke in the early morning and was grateful I had brought a fleece. With the elevation change in the mountains, it had gotten quite cool over night. For just a couple of days in the mountains, I had a pretty good sized load and was glad I wasn't climbing all over timbukto with my pack. I spent the next day hiking alongside Shining Creek, stopping here and there to splash a little in the water or to make photos. As the daylight started to fade away, I made my way back to camp for a nice hot meal. It had been a beautiful day and I was grateful to visit Pisgah once again. I made my way to bed at nightfall and in the morning, quickly packed up to make my customary stop at Looking Glass falls. I always feel a sense of peace when I visit Pisgah and always look forward to the next trip.
Flower Garden
One of the things I love about this time of year is to watch the flowers grow. Each morning for the past several weeks, I would get up early and even before I get that first cup of coffee, I would peer out in my backyard to see if the flowers in my garden had started blooming yet. Eyes barely open, looking bleary-eyed without my glasses, I would see no signs of color, then shuffle away grumbling and start the coffee maker. Then my Daylilies would start to swell up with a bloom, each day the bud getting larger and larger. I waited for it to pop open until that magical day came. Pop! A burst of color! And each day after, more and more would burst open. What a miracle!My flower garden is pretty simple. I have some Daylilies, Gladiolas, and Four O'clocks. I also have a few weeds. It's inevitable. I also have some ardent gardeners as friends whose gardens I also enjoy (thanks for the some of these flowers, Wes). And each day, I get to watch it unfold.
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